AfterDawn: News

New Wii with hard drive, HD coming in 2011?

According to a new report from What They Play, Nintendo is intent on making a "true" next-gen console but is going to ride the commercial success of the Wii for as long as possible.

Citing insider sources, the report says the upgraded Wii will keep current motion-based gameplay but will add processing and graphics power that can drive HD support. The new console would also include a hard drive, acknowledging the main problem gamers have had with the Wii.



The console will also have backwards-compatibility for Wii games and should also be compatible with Virtual Console games.

The report also says the console would include a new GPU from AMD and a new CPU from IBM, both of which will include provisions to play Wii software without the need for emulation.

When is the expected launch? 2011.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 2 Oct 2008 1:44

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• 12 comments

• SSSJDanny

  2011? Within a few Years after that, there will probably already new Gen Consoles...
  
  They should make a Megaman game with an Arm Band So you can Fire... cool.

  2.10.2008 03:33 #1

• wiichess

  The wii is going to be improve. Maybe the xbox is going to have blueray. What the hell is sony going to do. Can you improve a PS3 to the point was it is consider a next gen console.

  2.10.2008 06:07 #2

• AuWolf

  Virtual reality would be cool. But that's probably ages away. ie The Matrix. You interface with a computer to actually play the game.

  2.10.2008 08:22 #3

• SProdigy

  Originally posted by wiichess: The wii is going to be improve. Maybe the xbox is going to have blueray. What the hell is sony going to do. Can you improve a PS3 to the point was it is consider a next gen console.LOL! My thought exactly. The next Xbox will be the size of Shaq's shoe box. The next Wii will be the size of a pack of cigarettes!
  
  Originally posted by AuWolf: Virtual reality would be cool. But that's probably ages away. ie The Matrix. You interface with a computer to actually play the game.Don't bet on it. The Wii already proves that motion-based input devices are feasable. We might see something like the movable screens used in Minority Report, or even 3-D based displays seen in Iron Man, not long from now.
  
  I think it would be really neat to have a more powerful Wii with HD support, but I think it will still have flash based memory or SSD, which should come farther down in price by 2011. Besides, by 2011, this better be a next-gen console touting backwards compatibility. If Nintendo keeps the price in the same range as the Wii, they may be onto something, but all of this is just speculation at this time.

  2.10.2008 09:20 #4

• ZippyDSM

  IMO a upgrade as you setup is not that bad but you have to ensure the HD/Extra content is labed as so people will not get it for their older console.
  
  Looking at how they used the exstention ramm for the N64 its very plausible one can have a SD game with HD data packs in it and when you have the upgraded console it will load thos HD models and textures and such.
  
  I kinda wish MS would get it over with and bring out a 1.5 of the 360...its a mess still....

  2.10.2008 10:02 #5

• emugamer

  Well, this was going to happen. It was just a matter of when. Glad to finally have a date on the horizon. It had better be able to meet or surpass the PS3 in performance and innovation. Because I don't plan on buying a new console until the next wave comes around. Hopefully the PS3 has the staying power the PS2 has and will last a couple of years past 2011. But you never know what MS might pull out then. It would be funny if MS and Sony went at it again with more powerful systems and Nintendo stayed a gen behind. Actually, it would be funnier if that happened and Nintendo were to still out-sell them both :P
  
  Quote:The wii is going to be improve. Maybe the xbox is going to have blueray. What the hell is sony going to do. Can you improve a PS3 to the point was it is consider a next gen console.What does Sony really need to do? They have their ducks lined up. Devs are slowly but surely tapping into the power of the PS3. Sony is going to grow into their machine while MS is already loosening their belt buckle and Nintendo always planned on throwing out the baby with the bath water.

  2.10.2008 12:16 #6

• grkblood

  Originally posted by wiichess: The wii is going to be improve. Maybe the xbox is going to have blueray. What the hell is sony going to do. Can you improve a PS3 to the point was it is consider a next gen console.I dont know if youre a microsoft fanboy or not but it seems like you were trying to punk Sony but it actually came out as a huge compliment.

  2.10.2008 16:34 #7

• mike.m

  I love it when rumors like these come true. I'm sure that Microsoft has to be coming out with a new console, as they were looking in to what processors will be availabe around of before 2010-2012. It will be good for nintendo to get into the next-gen graphics and still have its motion control system. Im not too sure if Sony needs to come out with another console, their console now seems to be pretty well built. Just can't wait to get a new wii and xbox!

  4.10.2008 14:48 #8

• ZippyDSM

  Originally posted by mike.m: I love it when rumors like these come true. I'm sure that Microsoft has to be coming out with a new console, as they were looking in to what processors will be availabe around of before 2010. It will be good for nintendo to get into the next-gen graphics and still have its motion control system. Im not too sure if Sony needs to come out with another console, their console now seems to be pretty well built. Just can't wait to get a new wii and xbox!they don't really need a new console, play it like this build a 360 with hardware thats about 30-50% more powerful, and have devs make a game as so it can run ion the old system but runs better with fancier graphics on the new. No need to get into build a over priced 2.0 system yet.

  4.10.2008 14:52 #9

• L-Burna

  The Wii system is due for a rebuild,but the time it takes to rebuild the system they mentioned doesn't make any sense.They might as well start building a new system now to get a jump start on Sony and MS,because once they finish with the adjustments Sony and MS will probably have a new console already in the works.I think Nintendo needs to rethink their strategy and start looking at the future instead of the present like they did with the Wii.The system was outdated when they introduced it to everyone.I do admit the controller scheme was an advancement,but that is really the only thing that seperated it from the last gen consoles.The Wii system doesn't even compare to the PS3 and XBox 360 when referring to hardware.If this is the best they can do then they are not going to be able to compete with Sony and MS in the future,unless people like living in the past.The systems they build use hardware that gets old extremely quick.
  

  
  
  
  ...........................:SiG cReAtEd By Phantom69:............................

  4.10.2008 18:48 #10

• varnull

  3 more years... we are in the world of the next gen consoles by then.. M$ seem to have a system life plan of 5-6 years.
  
  I think they are all stumped as to which direction to go right now.. What do you want to do with games that isn't done by the current consoles.. oh yeah.. VR and maybe "real" 3D.....
  
  That is.. if there is a market for hardware in 3 years.
  

  
  
  Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work. The flower of carnage-shura no hana

  4.10.2008 19:03 #11

• borhan9

  I would like to know what the capacity of this hard drive is and if we can get an external hard drive and connect it too our old exsisting Wii.
  
  The other question i have is what is the current capacity of the exsisting hard drive the nintendo wii has?

  5.10.2008 03:16 #12